Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

OU () (): My question is to the Minister for Skills and Training. How is the Albanese Labor government supporting students with cost-of-living pressures as part of its plan to build a highly skilled workforce, particularly in areas of high demand? What has been the response to the government's plans.

Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Skills and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Calwell for her question and for her strong advocacy for the VET sector and for TAFEs in northern and north-west Melbourne.

I think that everyone in this place would agree—on this side, certainly—and genuinely appreciate that education and training are transformative to a person's life. We understand that acutely and we understand that personally. It is absolutely transformative. Access to education and training, therefore, for students and workers to reskill or upskill in areas of emerging demand is really important and life-changing. It also increases, of course, the likelihood of good and secure work; good wages; and career progression. In fact, in many respects, it is a change in the quality of life for people who acquire those skills, that knowledge and that education.

It is for that reason that we need to ensure that people access training and education. On the macro level, a skilled and knowledgeable workforce leads to a more productive and efficient economy, putting downward pressure on the costs of goods and services. So there are multiple benefits to improving the acquisition of skills and knowledge in our labour market. But to achieve these ends we must remove financial barriers to education and training, especially in areas of skill shortages or emerging skill shortages.

That's why we struck eight historic game-changing agreements recently with the state and territory governments—Labor and Liberal—to invest in 180,000 fee-free TAFE and VET places for 2023. That's an additional investment for this year, and that's, of course, providing opportunities for students and workers to acquire skills in areas of emerging and existing demand so that they can be properly employed and find good, secure work and so that businesses can find the skilled workers they need.

I have been asked: what is the response to the government's plan? I'm afraid to say that those opposite, if they had their way, would deprive thousands of students and workers of these opportunities. Left to those opposite, New South Wales students in aged care would have to find up to $1,450 to continue to train in this area of skills shortage. Victorian students training in hospitality would have to find $3,419 to continue their courses. South Australian students undertaking cybersecurity courses, an area very important to national security, would have to find up to $6,521 to pay for that course. The fact is that the opposition oppose fee-free TAFE, even though it helps students, businesses and the economy. (Time expired)